Poverty Law News

Disaster Assistance

Louisiana Supreme Court Upholds Extended Deadlines for Insurance Claims
The Louisiana Supreme Court has held that two state laws that extended the time limit for making insurance claims for damages suffered in Hurricanes Katrina and Rita are constitutional.

Employment

Guest Workers Charge Luxury Hotel Chain in New Orleans with Exploitation
Eighty-two guest workers have filed a federal lawsuit against Decatur Hotels, alleging that they were lured through false promises and charged thousands of dollars in fees to fill jobs held by New Orleaneans prior to Hurricane Katrina.

Health

Suit Alleges That CMS Supresses Truthful Speech Regarding Insurance Coverage
The Washington Legal Foundation has filed suit in federal court against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services alleging that CMS is trampling on First Amendment rights in seeking to supress truthful speech regarding insurance coverage available to senior citizens under Medicare Part D. WLF filed suit on behalf of members who, as a result of CMS's actions, are unable to obtain accurate information about competing insurance providers.

Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Rule
The Center for Law and Social Policy submitted comments to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the interim final rule that would require certain Medicaid applicants to document their citizenship. The Shriver Center has filed a federal class action lawsuit challenging the policy.

Key Resources on Health Coverage and the Uninsured
Coincident with the Census Bureau's release of its annual update on health insurance coverage and the number of uninsured Americans, the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has compiled a series of links to key resources on health care and the uninsured.

Welfare

Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage
The Census Bureau has released data on income, poverty, and health insurance coverage from the 2005 American Community Survey. Although real median income rose by 1.1 percent between 2004 and 2005, the poverty rate remained steady at 12.6 percent. Moreover, the number of people without health insurance coverage rose by 1.3 million to 46.6 million. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has published analysis of the data. According to John Bouman, Director of Advocacy at the Shriver Center, the Census data are misleading because the federal government does not accurately measure poverty.

Targeting Poverty: Aim at a Bulls Eye
Forty years after the war on poverty and a year after Katrina struck, commitments to tackle poverty are beginning to come back onto political and policy agendas. This report from the Center for Law and Social Policy identifies efforts around the nation to set poverty targets -- numerical goals and timelines -- for the reduction or elimination of poverty.

Poverty Law News
September 2, 2006